Rangers defenseman Marc Staal was hit in the eye with a shot on Tuesday night, and it was horrifying. Here's a screengrab of the accident from NBC Sports' Liam McHugh:

He left the ice in extreme pain and bled, both on the ice and on his way to the training room. The accident occurred at 5:45 of the third period when Flyers winger Jakub Voracek tipped a shot by defenseman Kimmo Timonen.

Staal, it has to be noted, does not wear a visor—and make no mistake, you're going to hear that a lot in the coming days. Many have logically called for visors to be mandatory, and Staal's injury may make the best case yet. Players must wear facial protection at every other level of hockey, including in the AHL, which passed the rule in 2006.

He also has a history of concussions, and that's something that, along with the condition of his eye, should be at the front of everyone's minds. The Flyers, coincidentally, lost two players—Ian Laperriere and Chris Pronger—to concussion-related issues that arose when they were hit in the eye: Laperriere with a puck, Pronger with a stick.

In the meantime, there was no immediate word on Staal's condition. He didn't return to the game.